COMMUNITY SCIENCE

Crowdsource for science! Explore L.A.'s nature by doing what you love!

How it Works

STEP 1
Discover Wildlife

Help us investigate the incredible nature all around L.A., in backyards, schools, and in neighborhoods, and discover the wildlife all around you!

STEP 2
Record What You See

Snap a photo of the animals you find, and when and where you found them. The more detailed the observation, the better!

STEP 3
Share What You Find

Submit your observations, by e-mail at nature@nhm.org or through social media with #NatureinLA.

STEP 1
Find What Interests You

The SuperProject!

We need help investigating the incredible nature all around L.A., in backyards, schools, and in neighborhoods. Join us!
Learn More

RASCals

We want to find out where all the reptiles and amphibians live throughout Southern California. To do this, we need your help! Participate in Reptiles and Amphibians of Southern California (RASCals) and provide scientists with valuable data that can help answer real-world questions about how they've responded to dramatic changes in habitat over time.
Learn More

SLIME

Snails and slugs Living in Metropolitan Environments (SLIME) is a community science project that aims to catalogue the biodiversity of terrestrial gastropods (land snails and slugs) in Los Angeles County and throughout Southern California.
Learn More

BioSCAN

In 2012, the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County launched a new research initiative: NHMLA Biodiversity Science: City and Nature (NHMLA BioSCAN). This first-of-its-kind scientific investigation will discover and explore biodiversity in and around one of the world’s largest cities: Los Angeles.
Learn More

Southern California Squirrel Survey

Mammalogists at NHMLA want to know what the current distribution of different squirrel species is throughout Southern California, and how this changes over time and you can help!
Learn More

L.A. Spider Survey

We are conducting a large-scale survey of urban spiders! We're asking people to collect spiders in their homes and gardens, fill out a simple data sheet about their collection, and send or bring them to the Museum.
Learn More

Butterfly Scan

ButterflySCAN is aimed at understanding more about how butterflies, both native and not, are distributed throughout L.A.
Learn More

GeckoWatch

GeckoWatch is a way for visitors to join Museum scientists in discovering the homes and habits of L.A.’s wild creatures. With the help of participants, we can understand how native and nonnative populations have shrunk or expanded and how they’re interacting in homes, backyards, and schools.
Learn More

Partner Projects

Lost Ladybug Project

The Museum is partnering with Cornell University's Lost Ladybug Project to find out which ladybugs live in L.A. Can you help us find populations of rare native ladybugs, such as the nine-spotted ladybug, Coccinella novemnotata?Learn More

ZomBee Watch

The Museum is partnering with San Francisco State University's Department of Biology to learn more about the zombie fly and how this parasitoid (like a parasite, except they always kill their host) affects honey bees. You can join this investigation by becoming a ZomBee Hunter!Learn More

STEP 2
Record What You See

What

Introduce us to the critter! Was it a squirrel in a tree, a lizard crawling on a trail, or a snail inching around?

Where

Exact locations and other details, such as the weather and habitat descriptions.

When

When precisely did you encounter the wild creature? Be sure to record the date and time!